• Affordable priceExustar is one of the largest pedal com-panies on the planet, with offerings foreveryone from dedicated riders to weekendspinners. We have tested a few of Exustar’sclipless pedals over the years with goodresults. The E-PM825 is Exustar’s newestpedal aimed at enduro and all-mountainriding. We put these pedals to the test onsome of our burliest trails to see if theycould hold up.

Tech info: The E-PM825 checks a lotof boxes for a modern heavy-duty trailpedal with an extruded aluminum bodyand thermoplastic platform surroundingthe body. The platform pivots fore and aftto give riders more support when mash-ing down or descending. The die-castaluminum body is double-sided and useschromoly spring-loaded plates to attach tothe cleat. This tension can be adjusted tosuit the rider’s preference. Exustar uses aheat-treated, CNC-machined chromoly axlewith sealed bearings and bushings. Thesepedals are SPD compatible and have aretail price of $109 that includes a set ofcleats.

On the trail: Out of the box, the
PM825 looked burly, especially with its
plastic platform around the body. On the
scale, the PM825 came in at 443 grams
for the pair, including cleats. We installed
the pedals on one of our go-to trailbikes.
Unlike other pedals, Exustar spindles
require a smaller 6-millimeter Allen. The
elevated pedal body was easy for us to find
when clipping in and didn’t pose any issues
on the trail. After a couple of rides, we
did have to tighten down the engagement
to keep from unclipping involuntarily. The
chromoly plates aren’t as thick as those of
other pedals we have tested in this category and did flex at times when we were
unclipping.

On our first couple of rides, theE-PM825 pedals performed well, givingus a comfortable platform for climbingand descending. After our first few rides,however, the pedals started to develop acreak between the thermoplastic platformand pedal body. We put in a couple dropsof lube, but that only helped for a shorttime and didn’t cure the issue. The plasticplatform did give our test riders some goodprotection from rocks and roots but showedwear and tear fairly quickly.

After our extended testing period, we
were pleased to see that the bearings
were still in good shape and hadn’t
developed any unwanted play or grinding.
Even though Exustar boasts that these are
“all-mountain” pedals, our test riders didn’t
think they could stand up to the rigors of
rowdier riding. Riders looking for a slightly
more affordable pedal for lightweight trail
riding, however, will be pleased with the
E-PM825. ❏